A satellite image taken this week shows the aftermath of a massive U.S. bombing campaign against an “ISIS-infested” island in northern Iraq.
American jets dropped more than 80,000 pounds of laser-guided bombs on Qanus Island on Tuesday. The new image from Planet Labs, Inc., shows smoking craters in decimated areas that were previously covered in green foliage and forest.
Qanus Island in Iraq as seen in May 2019 prior to the U.S. airstrike on Sept. 10, and a satellite image showing the island after the strike that day. (Satellite images courtesy of Wim Zwijnenburg and Planet Labs, Inc.)
The bombing was meant to destroy an area the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group was using for operations in the region, U.S. officials said. Iraqi forces searched and cleared the area following the bombing.
Wim Zwijnenburg, a senior researcher at PAX, a Dutch nongovernmental organization specializing in conflict and the environment, told Fox News that historical images show the island doesn’t have any structures, indicating it’s unlikely there are underground facilities. – READ MORE